Parent's Review of Dubai American Academy in Dubai, UAE

What is the name of your child's school? (Please report on one school per survey.)

Dubai American Academy

In what town or city is this school located?

Dubai

How would you describe this school? (i.e. American, British, International, Local, etc.)

American / International Baccalaureate

What grade levels are represented at this school?

K-11

How do most children get to school everyday? (bus, train, walk, etc.)

Parents either transport their children by car or there is an independent bus service, Falcon Bus, that will also pickup for an additional fee. Public transport is not available although taxis are safe, easy to get and reasonably priced for that occasional emergency

How would you describe the facilities at this school? What extra-curricular activities are available?

The school is located in an emerging area of Dubai called Al Barsha, close to the Burj al Arab and other six star resorts, as well as the new Dubai Internet and Media Cities. The campus is less than one year old with a swimming pool, full track, new library media center, and by August of 2002 will have a gymnasium, performing arts auditorium, canteen and outdoor ampitheater. Extra-curricular activities include language classes in Dutch, Swedish, Finnish and Norweigian ; elementary classes ranging from karate to knitting and high school classes such as newspaper, basketball, ultimate frisbee, etc.

What has this school done to help your child transition from the curriculum in your home country into the curriculum in your new country? Are there programs to prepare your child for repatriation?

Dubai American Academy has such a wide range of nationalities and takes children who don't know English. So children, who speak no English, were able to learn it in a very kind environment and very quickly. Because the school is new, classes are still small, like 15 kids, so they get lots of attention. The after school language classes help them keep up with languages they speak at home. I don't know of any programs that help with repatiration.

How would you describe the social activities available for parents through this school? Are there parent-teacher organizations?

There is a parent's organization that sponsors family activities like picnics on the beach, a Halloween party, international Thanksgiving luncheon and cruises on the Dubai Creek. There is no school board so concerns go to the principals. There is an English language parent group that meets during the day and lots of people, especially mothers, use the school as a place to meet friends.

What advice would you give to someone considering enrolling their child in this school?

The school is expensive compared to other British schools in the area, but not as expensive as the American School of Dubai, but you should check and see how much money your company allows for schooling and make sure its enough. If you are an American and want a real international atmosphere for your children, this is the school. The faculty are mostly north American or Canadian but there is also a good mix of others. All teachers are certified in their field and some other schools have faculty that are not. Check when you go looking at schools. Don't expect the school to be like one in the U.S. because without a school board or teacher's union, things are run differently. The school is 25% north American; 25% northern European; 25% Scandanavian and 25% other countries. We really like the international environment for our children and academically, the school is equal to, if it doesn't exceed, our school in the U.S. The IB program is a real plus.

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